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Thread: Bought the original cordless drill...

  1. #1
    Boolit Master





    Idaho45guy's Avatar
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    Bought the original cordless drill...

    My folks drove their new Jeep out to my little town for lunch at the local cafe. After lunch, my mom wanted to browse the antiques store. I had never been in it since A) I'm a man, B) antiques shops always smell funny, and C) I really have no use for $100 glass candy dishes or overpriced junk from yard sales.

    But... But... This shop had a man section full of old junk. Old traps, decoys, fishing stuff, hubcaps, sporting goods, and tools. Piles of tools!

    They had a dozen or so of the old hand drills. From $10 to $20.

    I picked out one that had a cast iron shoulder brace and was in remarkable condition for being made around 1900 or so. I couldn't believe how cheap it was! I couldn't believe how smooth it was and just how high-quality and sturdy it appeared.

    I went online to find similar drills for sale and they are all from $25 to $40. Cheap for such a cool and useful piece of history.

    It will go on my wall as decor, and if the apocalypse happens, I will have a drill...

    Attachment 219461

  2. #2
    Boolit Master


    Omega's Avatar
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    They are great drills albeit a bit slow, but you get good control of the speed.
    "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it."
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  3. #3
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    NoZombies's Avatar
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    Here I was expecting to see a bow drill... Those old brace drills do a decent job when used within their limits.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I use one of the old crank drills for lapping occasionally, nice low speed I can work the lapp back and forth and control it well. They are handy tools to have in the box.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master kenyerian's Avatar
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    Still use mine !

  6. #6
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    Outer Rondacker's Avatar
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    Man that is not the original. The drill bit with a wood handle is the original. Still a good tool though. I use all of mine.
    Stop being blinded by your own ignorance.

  7. #7
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    You have no idea how many old axe heads I've bought and refurbished in shops like that. Those old hand drills are priceless.
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  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    As Jeff Cooper used to say before he got Steyr to make his Scout rifle, I've got mine! Miller's Falls, and it was cheap to buy, but expensive to get across the Atlantic. I spray-painted it, black for the body and red for the large wheel. The chuck, for tapered-square wood bits, was pretty useless, but I replaced the spindle with a half-inch straight mandrel for a key-tightened engineer's chuck. It has been so long that without going out to my workshop I can't remember whether the chuck fitting is screw or Jacobs taper.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy

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    very nice

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    You caused me to look at my hands. When I was young I had to drill 250 3/8" holes in 1/4 " plate with one of those. I still hurt when I see one of those and it's been 65 years ago.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    What brand is it, like BiS I like Millers Falls tools. I have one and a small Stanley hand crank drill that my Dad gave me 60 years ago, I still use it sometimes just because. Sometimes you have to rescue and old tool.

    I am afraid you have started down a path of no return, now you need a proper set of auger bits.

    I hit the local one fairly often. I found a nice complete Bair 12 ga. loader for $25.

  12. #12
    In Remembrance

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    It has the original shoulder thing that goes up, hope no one bans them drills. We had those in woodshop class back in the late 70's, our teacher wanted us to use some manual tools like those drills, hand planes, chisels and and cabinet scrapers.
    In reality they wanted everyone to finish the year with all their fingers, lol.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master





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    It's a Millers Falls...

    Attachment 219486
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  14. #14
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    It’s called a brace
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  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by poppy42 View Post
    It’s called a brace
    I thought a brace was the the other one, rounded cap and offset handle. Hate the picture functionality here so can’t post it but try this http://lumberjocks.com/Brit/blog/24957

  16. #16
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    The problem with old tools such as the one pictured is that they made so many. The phone companies bought them by the thousands. They even had one designed to drill in corners. I bought my last brace drill in a yard sale for a dollar. The same thing is true for tools used in the kitchen such as a meat grinder, every household had one. I too pick up very old hammers and hatchets with the idea of putting new handles on them but the handles are very hard to find in Southern California and when you do they want more for it than a new hammer. I will post pictures of some of the old tools to this post later. This is a picture of some of the old tools I referred to. I guess I should describe some of the items pictured. The upper left tool was used to make chair legs. It was used in the type of brace next to it. The large ax head was used to trim logs to make them square and also to remove bark from logs. Next to the ax are two hold soldering irons. Next to them is a shoe cobbler's hammer. Next is a weird pair of pliers and I have no idea what they are used for. Next is an old ball peen hammer that I would love to find a handle for. Next is a hatchet with claws. Next is a roofing hammer used with shake shingles.
    Last edited by GOPHER SLAYER; 04-30-2018 at 12:40 PM. Reason: add pictures
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  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Among others I have a 6" brace and bit - really good for screwing deck screws - I almost kept up with the guy with the electric drill motor. I was younger then, too!
    Wayne the Shrink

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  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ballistics in Scotland View Post
    As Jeff Cooper used to say before he got Steyr to make his Scout rifle, I've got mine! Miller's Falls, and it was cheap to buy, but expensive to get across the Atlantic. I spray-painted it, black for the body and red for the large wheel. The chuck, for tapered-square wood bits, was pretty useless, but I replaced the spindle with a half-inch straight mandrel for a key-tightened engineer's chuck. It has been so long that without going out to my workshop I can't remember whether the chuck fitting is screw or Jacobs taper.
    My grandfather built an entire house with cupboards and all with Millers Falls. Years later of course, I used to deliver to the old Millers Falls plant in....Millers Falls! Not sure what they made there but it was next to a canal and you had to pull into the alley between the plant across the road and the canal and back across the road into their loading dock.

    Pepere swore by them and had an entire tool chest full of drills, saws etc. They were absconded with, unfortunately. I keep an entire set of hand tools like that at my camp to use and have some at the house for when the power goes out
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

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  19. #19
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    I use my brace regularly, mostly for the leverage to get out stuck screws. You can really lean on it to keep bit from camming out of the slot. I have several square shank screwdriver bits. For the Phillips, torx or Frearson screws I use the right hex bit in a hex bit holder that chucks up well in the brace square drive chuck.

    On good braces the chuck also has a direct drive mode as well as a forward and reverse ratchet mode.

    Put in a few hundred screws in a cedar over white oak framed sailboat. Without the ratchet mode it would have been miserable trying to get the screws in that were immediately adjacent to the cradle the boat was sitting on. The brace gave me a great feel as the screws started to draw up. Nice and tight and no twisted off screws

  20. #20
    Boolit Master



    retread's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GOPHER SLAYER View Post
    The problem with old tools such as the one pictured is that they made so many. The phone companies bought them by the thousands. They even had one designed to drill in corners. I bought my last brace drill in a yard sale for a dollar. The same thing is true for tools used in the kitchen such as a meat grinder, every household had one. I too pick up very old hammers and hatchets with the idea of putting new handles on them but the handles are very hard to find in Southern California and when you do they want more for it than a new hammer. I will post pictures of some of the old tools to this post later. This is a picture of some of the old tools I referred to.
    Wow. I haven't seen a pair of safety wire pliers since I got out of the Navy in 1971. Brings back memories!

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